The Senator's Secret Read online

  “Fine.” Sam was fuming. He knew Josh was good at his job, but it really rankled to hear that tone from him.

  “Good. I’ll expect to see some stunning photos later, then. Bye for now.” Josh disconnected.

  Sam expelled a long breath and counted silently to ten.

  “I think we just got our wrists slapped,” Gary murmured, reaching for the coffee pot.

  Sam gave a loud snort. “Ya think? Here, don’t drink all the coffee. Save some for me. I think I’m going to need it.”

  “Where does he get off talking to you like that?” Gary looked as pissed as Josh had sounded. “I mean, I know he’s working hard to put a positive spin on things and reverse some of the damage done by Hartsell’s post, but honestly?” He let out a low growl. “When someone pushes me too hard, I tend to push back.” He locked eyes with Sam. “For future reference.”

  Sam couldn’t hold back his smirk. “Thanks for telling me. I’ll be sure to stay on your good side.”

  It took a second or two, but eventually Gary relaxed and chuckled, and the tension out on the deck eased a little.

  “And if it helps? I’m with you on this.”

  Gary smiled. “Good to know. I think we both need to lighten up a bit before Steven gets here.” He fished his phone out of his pockets and grinned. “Hey, I’ve got a text. It’s from Dinky. ‘Are you bringing that nice man back to see me? And when is he going to adopt me? My bags are all packed.’” He grinned.

  Sam laughed. “Thanks. I needed that.” He caught a different sound on the morning breeze. “I hear a car. Steven must be here.” He was trying to work up some enthusiasm for the day, but so far it just wasn’t happening.

  “Can I drive today?” Gary asked suddenly.

  That stopped him for a moment. “Sure, but it’s not that far to the estate, so you won’t have much driving to do.” A thought crossed his mind. “And I’ll bet you anything you like that it won’t be as pleasant as yesterday, when it was just the two of us.”

  Gary’s expression softened. “Yeah, no takers on that one.” He rose. “I’ll go get ready. Steven will want to take a lot of photos to make up for yesterday.” He picked up his mug and the now-empty coffee pot and went into the house.

  Sam lingered on the deck, drinking in the morning sunlight and the sounds and scents of the outdoors.

  The loud rap on the door plunged him back into the present.

  He went through the house and let Steven in.

  Steven strode into the hallway, his lips pursed. “I suppose you two thought it was funny, running off like a pair of six-year-olds.”

  And there was Sam’s bad mood back to stomp his ass. He’d been prepared to be apologetic, but Steven’s attitude was pissing him off right from the get go.

  Fuck it.

  “Yes, we did, actually.” He beamed. “Ready for today?”

  Steven arched his eyebrows. “That depends on you two. I’ll just have to insist that if I have to visit the restroom, you’re both coming with me.” When Sam snickered, he coughed. “Yeah, I didn’t mean that how it came out.”

  Gary came up from his room, a jacket slung over his shoulder. The dark green T-shirt that clung to his torso matched his eyes perfectly. And those jeans….

  Lord, he has a nice ass. Nice everything, as far as Sam was concerned.

  “And here’s the other bad boy. You gonna behave today?”

  Gary’s jaw set. “Of course.” He turned to Sam. “Are we ready to go?”

  Sam nodded. “I just have to put the dishes in the dishwasher. Then we can leave.”

  “Can I have the car keys?” When Sam gave him an inquiring glance, Gary shrugged. “Just wanted to set up my phone to get us there, seeing as I’ve never driven there before.”

  Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Gary flashed him a warning glance. He came across to Sam and held out his hand for the keys. When Sam placed them in his palm, Gary leaned closer, and his lips brushed against Sam’s cheek. Sam’s heart pounded at the unexpected gesture, until Gary whispered, “Keep him talking, okay?” He pulled back and winked before walking past Steven with a polite smile and exiting the house.

  Sam bit back a smile. What the hell is he up to?

  “So, what did you two get up to after you dumped me?” Steven asked.

  “We drove around for a while and came back here,” Sam said with a nonchalant air.

  “Oh, I get it. That explains a lot. Booty call, huh?” Steven leered. “What is it with gay men? I swear, my brother acts like he’s in heat all the time. He gets more bedroom action than I do.” Steven shook his head. “I’m obviously batting for the wrong team.”

  For some reason his assumption about Sam’s sex life hit a nerve.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but not all gay men are alike. And some of us think some things are worth waiting for.” It was close to the bone, but Sam didn’t want Steven thinking they were a pair of sluts. From what he knew so far about Gary, that description didn’t fit him at all.

  Steven paled. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t make unnecessary assumptions. And you’re right, it’s none of my business.” He swallowed. “For the record? I think it makes a refreshing change.”

  “It’s not something I’m comfortable talking about,” Sam said quietly. That much was true.

  “Gotcha.” Steven cleared his throat. “Shall we go?”

  Sam nodded. He grabbed his jacket and they left the house.

  “I’ll follow you guys,” Steven told him, and walked toward his Jeep.

  Gary was beckoning Sam excitedly. “Come on, quick!” he gritted out before climbing behind the wheel.

  Sam jogged across and got into the passenger seat. “What’s the hurry?” he asked, securing his seatbelt.

  Gary switched on the engine, and the car lurched into life. He spun the wheel and headed up the driveway at top speed.

  Sam looked back toward the house. “Er, why aren’t you waiting for Steven to follow us?”

  Gary snorted. “Trust me, Steven isn’t going to be following us far today.” He pulled out onto Vance Gap Road and headed south on 694.

  Sam stared at him. “And why is that?”

  Gary gave a little shrug. “Because I let the air out of his tires.” He grinned. “All of them.”

  Sam was seriously impressed. “Your mom was right, you know that? You are a little fiend.” He couldn’t stop smiling.

  Gary gave a gasp. “Ouch, that hurts. I was nice. I left him a foot pump so he could reinflate them.”

  “Where did you get a foot pump?”

  “I found it in your trunk,” Gary said, and Sam started laughing. “What’s so funny about that?”

  “That’s the pump I use for blowing up the basketball Curtis and I play hoops with now and again.”

  “Oopsie.” Gary gave him an adorably sheepish grin. “Might take him a little longer than I’d thought, then.”

  Sam shook his head. “You’re incorrigible. And there was you telling Steven you were going to behave.”

  “I am behaving!” Gary insisted. When Sam gave him an inquisitive glance, he grinned. “I never said I’d behave well, did I?”

  Sam snorted and gazed through the windshield. “Want to tell me where we’re going?”

  “Someplace I’ve never been,” Gary said. “And I wanted it to be just us.” He glanced across at Sam. “That okay with you?

  “Perfectly okay.” He relaxed into the seat. “You do know Josh is going to kick both our asses for this, right?”

  There was that grin again. “I have a plan. Trust me.”

  It came as something of a shock when Sam realized he already did. Then a thought occurred to him. “Gary? Let’s turn off the phones?”

  “MY God, this is amazing.” Gary’s hushed tone was full of awe. “It’s still winter, and yet look at it. It’s so beautiful.”

  Sam had to agree.

  They stood in an overlook parking lot, gazing out over hills and valleys dotted with trees, a vast, majestic
expanse of sky above them. The dark hills rippled across the landscape, against the sky that was a startling shade of blue. The mountains farther off rose up out of the mist, their peaks sharp.

  “I love the Blue Ridge Parkway.” Sam had many fond memories of summers hiking through those mountains with his parents, of standing at the foot of majestic falls and watching the water cascade powerfully over rocks. They’d walk alongside a creek and stop to eat a packed lunch before walking some more. “I want you to see Bald Mountain. It’s awesome, the way it rises up from a canopy of green, its sides so smooth.”

  He was dimly aware of Gary nodding beside him. “It’s sights like this that make you believe in a Creator,” Gary said quietly. “All this beauty, as far as the eye can see. Every turn of that road coming here brought something else to look at. Blink and you missed it.” He turned to Sam. “Thank you.”

  “You brought us here, remember?” Sam said with a smile.

  “Yes, but that was only because you spoke so fondly of it. I wanted to see it for myself.” He drew in a deep breath. “I could stand here for hours, drinking it all in.”

  Behind them, the bushes rustled. They turned to look, and Gary caught his breath at the sight of a raccoon, standing on a fallen tree trunk, watching them, its heart visibly pounding. “Hey there, little guy,” he whispered.

  Sam smiled. “I’d say take a picture, but he’d probably run for it before you got your phone ready.”

  “I can try.” Slowly Gary raised his phone and held it out. “Aren’t you a handsome fella?”

  The raccoon let out a cute, high-pitched squeal and stood up on its hind legs.

  Sam laughed softly. “Oh, you’re a bold one, aren’t you?” Next to him, he caught the soft click as Gary took his photo. “See? He posed for you.”

  The raccoon gave another squeal and disappeared back into the trees.

  “That’s what you sounded like the other day,” Gary said. “You know, when Dinky splashed you.” His eyes sparkled.

  “Splashed me? It took ages for my clothes to dry out after that.” He was about to say more, but one look at Gary’s smirk told him to remain silent. Someone was having fun with him.

  Ping.

  “And there’s another one,” Gary said with a sigh. “He’s going to keep messaging us until we answer him, you know that, right?”

  Sam glared at his phone, his screen full of texts from Josh. “I only turned it on to take pictures.”

  “Then tell Josh my plan and he might leave us in peace,” Gary reasoned.

  He had a point.

  Josh answered after one ring. “Where are you?”

  “The Blue Ridge Parkway,” Sam said. “Look, I’m sorry, we just—”

  “Save it,” Josh said shortly. “I’m only trying to save your ass after Hartsell outed you, that’s all. Only trying to win you more voters. Only—”

  “Josh!”

  Silence. “What?” He sounded like a sullen, petulant kid.

  “We are taking selfies all over the place here. For you. And Gary took photos yesterday at the Biltmore Estate, which is where we were. Selfies too. We will e-mail you everything.” He paused. “Will that make you happy?” The whole situation was ridiculous, but he didn’t want to piss Josh off any more than he had to. The guy was worth his weight in polls.

  “Yeah, it just might.” Josh sighed. “Sorry, boss, but I’m doing my best here for you.”

  “I know you are, and I had no right to mess up your plans like this. But you know you said Gary and I needed to spend time together?”

  “Uh-huh?”

  “It’s not so easy getting to know someone when there’s always someone else there.” He let Josh digest that.

  The silence that followed his words said a lot. “Gotcha. Go be with Gary. I’ll see you on Monday. And Sam?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Good luck tomorrow.” Josh disconnected.

  It took a moment for his meaning to filter through Sam’s brain. Tomorrow? Tomo—Aw, crap. Lunch with Mom and Dad. He’d actually forgotten.

  “Ready to move on?” Gary asked.

  Sam smiled. “Sure. And I know just where I want us to go next.”

  Chapter Nine

  Peace and Bliss

  “THIS is such a beautiful spot,” Gary murmured, gazing at the creek, the water so still it was a perfect mirror, reflecting the trees above their heads. They sat on top of a pile of rocks, only reached by crossing the creek on stepping-stones. Gary had his knees drawn up, his arms wrapped around them. Sam sat next to him, his face turned up toward the sun.

  “You should see it on a less calm day,” Sam said, “when the water cascades over the rocks into swirling pools. I’ve sat here for hours, watching fish darting in and out of the undergrowth, the water so clear you could see everything. Fall is the best time to be here, though. The colors of the leaves are just stunning.”

  “It’s pretty stunning now,” Gary assured him. “Is this somewhere you used to come with your family?” He could almost picture Sam as a little boy, running along the water’s edge, laughing, his face alight. Right then he exuded calm.

  Sam nodded and regarded the scenery. “My granddad used to bring me here during the summer, when Mom and Dad were busy with the store. We’d spend hours out here.” He chuckled. “Of course, not everyone had a cell phone back then, so my granddad frequently got in trouble for bringing me back late.” There was a faraway look in his eyes. “We just lost track of time.”

  “Is he still living?” Gary asked. He found himself wanting to know more about the man sitting beside him. There was something about Sam that drew him, something that made him eminently… likable. Maybe that’s why he appeals to so many people. Sam gave off the impression of being a decent, honest man—a good trait in a politician—but it wasn’t just a surface thing.

  Gary thought back to their conversation about the contract. Once he’d gotten past his own feelings, what had emerged was genuine admiration. Sam had honor, integrity—all things Gary didn’t see enough of in the world of politics. And even though what they were doing felt contrary to those very traits, in another sense it felt strangely right.

  That was why he didn’t follow the constant barrage of election news. Working the phones was one thing—he found it easy to talk to people, and he liked what Sam stood for—but that was as far as it went. As far as Gary was concerned, it was generally easy to spot when a politician was lying: their lips moved.

  Only, Sam isn’t like that. Gary had to smile to himself. Senator Samuel Dalton—was he really the one good apple in a barrel full of unripe, worm-eaten ones? Or maybe it’s more the case that I’m projecting onto him. I’m allowing my attraction to him to cloud my judgment.

  Because Gary was definitely attracted to the gorgeous senator. And it wasn’t just for the way he looked either.

  “We lost Granddad a year ago.” Sam’s voice was hushed. “He was eighty-three. I know everyone wishes they’d had more time when someone they love dies, but I was glad he went when he did. He’d suffered from severe arthritis for a good few years, and I wanted him free of pain. Of course, he hadn’t been the same since Grandma died.” His smile was sad. “We figured he just wanted to be with her.”

  One look at that sweet expression and all Gary wanted to do was enfold Sam in a hug. He told himself that would be okay—they were engaged, for God’s sake—but something held him back. Maybe the knowledge that Sam was right. This wasn’t real.

  “Is it just you? No brothers or sisters?”

  “Just me.”

  A comfortable silence fell, and Gary was content to sit and drink in the tranquil scene. Birdsong rippled through the air, and a light breeze stirred the surface of the water. Just then from above their heads came a burst of song. Gary craned his neck to see a cardinal perched on a branch overhanging the creek, its song a long note followed by ten short chirrups. It was such a happy sound that he couldn’t help smiling. More birdsong followed, only this time he couldn’t tell its s
ource.

  “Finch,” Sam said quietly. When Gary glanced at him, Sam shrugged. “My granddad used to point out all the birds when we came here. You grow accustomed to their songs.”

  Gary leaned back, his arms supporting him. “Can I get something clear before we meet your mom tomorrow?”

  Sam peered at him. “You’re not getting nervous, are you? I told you to forget what Curtis said. He was just trying to get a rise out of you.”

  “It’s not that, it’s just….” He sat up, hugging his knees once more. “I sort of got the impression from your reaction to her calling you that she didn’t know you’re gay.”

  Sam fell silent, but the birds more than made up for it, singing their little heads off. After a moment, Sam nodded. “You’re right. She didn’t know. Neither of them did.”

  “Whoa. Hell of a way to learn, then—watching it on TV.” The hair lifted on the back of his neck. “They… they’re not… I mean, they’re okay with it, right?”

  Sam laughed. “Trust me, if my parents were homophobic, I wouldn’t be taking you anywhere near them.” He paused, then gave a sigh that tugged at Gary’s heart. “The thing is, when I’m not involved in election campaigns or engaged in senatorial activities, I run a hardware store.”

  Gary thought he might had read that somewhere. “Where?”

  “In Asheville. My great-grandfather started it, and then Granddad took over. My dad grew up working with him, and eventually he took it over. The store’s a damn sight bigger than when Great-Granddad Walter first built it, but it’s nowhere near as big as those multinationals that pop up all over the place. It’s still a family-run store. Dad retired a couple of years ago, and I took over.”

  “I guess I should ask: who’s minding the store right now?”

  Sam smiled. “Dad. He always steps in when I have state business to attend to.” He snickered. “But boy, does he gripe about it. Lucky I know he loves doing it, right?” Sam swiped a hand through his short hair. “Anywho, my parents would talk about when I’d give them grandkids, and wouldn’t it be a hoot if I only produced daughters, and hopefully one of my kids would want to carry on the tradition….”